Page 21 of The Rookie's Second Chance

The drive was a blur, tires squealing, sirens blaring. We reached Lexi and Luke’s place in record time. The morning chill prickled at my skin as I stepped out, but that was nothing compared to the cold dread that settled in my gut. Their front door was ajar, swinging ominously. Kayla drew her weapon, motioning for me to do the same.

We moved methodically, checking each room as we made our way to the living area. The sight that met us there made my stomach turn.

On the pristine white wall was a message scrawled in what looked disturbingly like blood. "YOU CAN’T ESCAPE ME."

“Motherfucker,” Kayla hissed under her breath, her knuckles white around her gun.

I scanned the room, my anger mounting. Lexi and Luke were huddled on the couch, Luke’s arm protectively around her. Both looked shaken to the core.

“We need to keep you safe,” I said, holstering my gun. “This is crossing a line.”

“We can keep a patrol on duty nearby,” Kayla chimed in, her voice tense. “And in the meantime, we’ll get a team to comb this place for evidence.”

Lexi looked up, tears pooling in her eyes. “Why is this happening, Jake? Why me?”

I felt a surge of protectiveness. “We’re working on it, Lexi,” I murmured, squeezing her hand. “We’ll get this bastard.”

As Kayla coordinated with the arriving officers, I pulled Luke aside, lowering my voice. “Make sure Lexi doesn’t stay alone, alright? And keep that location to yourselves. This guy's getting more daring by the day.”

Luke nodded, determination etched on his face. “You have my word.”

The following hours were a blur. officers combing the scene, snapping photos, gathering whatever evidence they could. The message on the wall, it turned out, was written in animal blood. A sick game to the stalker, but a clear sign for us – we were dealing with someone deranged.

Back at the station, my mind raced. We were now against an opponent who wasn’t just shadowing from a distance but actively moving in. The thought made me feel sick.

“Jake,” Kayla said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She handed over a baggie. Inside was a small piece of cloth. “Found this near the window. Doesn’t match anything in Lexi’s house.”

I squinted at it, the wheels turning. “Let’s get it to the lab. Maybe it’s our first real lead.”

With the evidence turned over to the lab, we returned to scouring reports for anything we missed. Lexi’s past was the key. I leafed through some printouts of documents from her college, dating profiles, social media posts. An old case, nearly buried in the stack, caught my eye.

"Hey, Kayla," I called, waving her over as I spread out the report. "Look at this. Another stalking case. Same college. Lexi’s freshman year."

Her eyes quickly scanned the document. "Shit, this is almost identical. Who was the victim?"

"Doesn’t say; all names are redacted for confidentiality. But check out the dates. Matches Lexi's timeline."

Kayla leaned in closer, her brow furrowed in concentration. "You think this could be our guy? He started with someone else and then moved on to Lexi?"

I shrugged, running a hand through my hair. "It’s a damn possibility. Especially if he knew her back then."

Her gaze locked onto mine, a hint of realization dawning. "Jared Ravenna. I looked him up earlier. He got out of jail a couple of weeks ago."

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you shitting me?"

She shook her head, handing me another file. "He was in for assault. The timeline fits. He would’ve been free during Lexi’s freshman year."

I stared at the mugshot on the file. Jared Ravenna. A name to a face. This could be the link we needed.

Pulling up the computer, I quickly ran a search on his last known whereabouts. "Fuck, Kayla. He’s just a couple hours out from here."

Without wasting a second, she was on her feet. "Let’s go. We need to talk to him."

“Let me see what Lexi knows first.”

I called her, and she didn’t answer, so I shot her a text, but she was probably resting or panicking. I know I would be in her shoes.

It was a stretch, linking an old college case with our current stalker situation. But it was a lead, one of the strongest we’d had so far. We moved with renewed energy, urgency driving us forward.

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